5 Side Dish Recipes for Thanksgiving

Janine Verreault is the editor of BCLiving. She holds a BA in English from Simon Fraser University and a Diploma in Broadcast Journalism from BCIT. In her time away from work, she loves shopping, checking out live music and strolling the Seawall with her husband and daughter.

Instructions

Toss the diced butternut squash in a minimal amount of olive oil and 1/3 of the minced garlic. Season lightly with sea salt and 1 tsp cinnamon.

Place on a parchment-lined baking pan and roast until the butternut squash is cooked through and begins to dry and brown.

Meanwhile, toss the diced celery root and parsnips and 1/3 of the minced garlic in a minimal amount of olive oil and season lightly with sea salt.

Place on a parchment-lined baking pan and roast until the vegetables are cooked through and begin to dry and brown.

In a pan over medium heat, add enough olive oil to thinly coat the surface of the pan. Once the oil begins to ripple, add the diced onions, 1/3 of the minced garlic and season lightly with sea salt.

Cook, stirring regularly until the onions begin to caramelize to a light golden brown.

Blanch the cobs of corn in boiling, salted water for four minutes. Remove and cut the kernels off of the cob.

In a large bowl, add all of the roasted vegetables, blanched corn, grape tomatoes, caramelized onions, picked parsley and serrano coins. Toss gently with a wooden spoon. The residual heat of the cooked vegetables will warm the tomatoes.

Transfer to a large serving platter

Drizzle with Maple Mustard Vinaigrette (recipe below).

Maple and Mustard Vinaigrette (1 cup)

1 shallot (peeled)

1 tbsp maple syrup

2 tbsp grainy mustard

1 tbsp fresh lemon juice

1/4 cup apple cider vinegar

1/2 cup olive oil

1/4 cup grape seed oil

pinch sea salt

Place the shallot, maple syrup, grainy mustard, lemon juice and apple cider vinegar into a blender and puree until smooth.

On medium speed, slowly stream in the olive oil and grape seed oil until emulsified.

In a small bowl, toss sunflower seeds in small amount of sunflower oil and salt. Lay flat on a baking sheet and toast until golden brown (approximately 3 to 4 minutes, keep a close watch as they will burn).

Whisk together all dressing ingredients.

Shred greens by hand and combine in large bowl with sunchokes and vinaigrette to taste.